NEENAH – When the school year starts, Neenah students will have one more resource to connect them with the mental health services they need.

The Neenah Joint School District hired Mike Altekruse as its first-ever mental health coordinator. Altekruse will put programs and services for youth mental health needs into place, such as prevention and early intervention. But, first he will evaluate what’s available now and take a district-wide look at what more can be provided.

School board member Jean Maurice Boyer said Altekruse’s position, unlike counselors and psychologists focused on certain age groups, allows a “breadth of perspective.”

“He’ll have knowledge of student issues all along that continuum including those important transition points into middle school and into high school,” Boyer said.

NJSD Director of Pupil Services Tim Gantz said since schools are meant for education, not always therapy, Altekruse aso will be able to help children and parents connect with community resources.

Gantz said he hasn’t heard of any other districts with a position like this.

The school district has five full-time psychologists, 16.5 counselor positions and the equivalent of 2.4 full-time school nurse positions.

“We still need that coordination, somebody at the top that really has this overall perspective of what are we doing, what are our existing practices,” Gantz said.

Altekruse has worked in college counseling centers for 23 years, mostly as a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, where he’s finishing up work this summer. Unlike in Oshkosh, Altekruse won’t have one-on-one appointments with students in Neenah. He’ll be based at the district office.

“The job for me is to be an advocate, a consultant,” he said, “and to provide information for teachers, parents, students, school counselors (and) administrators to help them with giving the students the services they need.”

Boyer said Altekruse will allow the district to plan long-term and strategically. Altekruse plans to conduct surveys and focus groups to evaluate the state of mental health in the school district currently, then work to fill in the gaps.

“As a psychologist I have always had the opportunity to use my listening skills and to help people and it doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m doing it in a professional setting where I’m one-on-one,” Altekruse said.

Counselors, school social workers and psychologists already have heavy caseloads, said Tracy Aliota, youth outreach coordinator for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of the Fox Valley.

“Having one go-to person, I think, is an excellent idea,” she said.

Altekruse said he expects to witness more influence from parents in this environment than he did on the UW-Oshkosh campus. But much of his work will stay the same, he predicted — like educating students on bystander intervention, making safety plans for those who were victims of sexual assault and helping students be wise about alcohol.

“This is pretty much what you do with children as well — just at a different level,” he said.

Like many in the mental health community, Altekruse sees the stigma associated with mental illness as a barrier to getting care for those who need it. He wants to help students feel comfortable coming forward for help.

Aliota, whose three children attend Neenah schools, said more people are becoming aware of mental health issues in children and adolescents, and the earlier the treatment, the better.

“If school personnel are aware of resources that they can bring into the school that can only be helpful,” she said.